Illinois Public Media

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Illinois Public Media

Illinois Supreme Court Won’t Reconsider Redistricting Ruling

September 13, 2016

The Illinois Supreme Court has denied a request to reconsider its ruling that a group's initiative to change how legislative districts are drawn is ineligible for the November ballot. The court issued the ruling Tuesday on a 4-3 vote. The court ruled last month that the Independent Maps Coalition's proposal was unconstitutional.

The coalition had collected about 563,000 signatures to ask voters whether legislative mapmaking power should be in the hands of an independent commission instead of lawmakers. The court ruled last month that the group's proposal was unconstitutional.

It's the second failed attempt to overhaul redistricting by petition in two years. Governor Bruce Rauner says the legislature should take up the mantle.

"Whether people are Democrats or Republicans doesn’t matter, this is about reform, it's about changing the system versus the status quo," he said.

Independent Maps Chair Dennis FitzSimons said in a statement that "Illinois voters have been denied their right to vote on a constitutional amendment to remove politics" from the map-making process. The court rarely grants rehearings.